Greetings, humans (and self-identified robots)!
That Star Trek cruise?? It was awesome! Although I had to do a lot of adulting before and after and I’m still recovering. I’ll explain a bit about what happened and share a few pictures below.
But before we dive in to my stories… remember that I’m here as an Indie Author trying to navigate this crazy world of book marketing and figuring out how to get my books into your hands. So if you haven’t yet, pick up a copy of Lunar Logic and my Robot Galaxy Series (starting with Book 1, Crazy Foolish Robots).
Something really cool to know about Lunar Logic: If you are a fan of audiobooks (and Star Trek), you’ll be pleased to know that production is underway and it will be available later this spring. Bruce Horak, who played the beloved Andorian Chief Engineer Hemmer in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, is narrating it!
Last newsletter, I presented the flash fiction piece, “Alien in Atlanta: Awkward Adventures.”
It’s neat to go to my personal “archive” and see all the stories as they build up! If you need to catch up, start there. Work from the bottom to the top: https://beyondthedroid.substack.com/archive
But today’s story was lightly inspired by the cruise which stopped at Aruba. My hubby and I chose not to do any of the excursions and instead just wander around (same thing as the day earlier in Curacao).
So there really isn’t much to say about either of those ports except how I got today’s story from them, which is covered below in the “Beyond…” section.
But the rest of the cruise?? AMAZING. I’ve been on a couple of cruises before, but they weren’t themed and my kids were there. So… not much of a vacation.
This experience, on the other hand, was beyond words. It was like a convention, but so much more. And given that we’re not late night party-ers, I don’t even know if we got the FULL experience, but it sure felt like we did PLENTY. We attended panels and the shows every evening. We took in the decor. We even donned Starfleet uniforms! (As much as I go to conventions, I’m not a cosplayer — I have a hard enough time figuring out what to wear on a normal day.)
I also participated in the door decorating and craft swapping and plan to do both again next year!
Yes… we’ve already signed up for next year’s cruise again!
You’d think after this I’d be all relaxed and refreshed when I got home. Alas… no.
My car died on the way to the cruise. My fridge died while we were on the cruise. And even since I’ve been home, we’ve had our share of other things (like the garbage disposal going out).
Obviously we’re working through all those things but it just goes to show you that… I don’t know. But here’s a pic of me sitting in the tow truck contemplating the ups and downs that is life:
[Note: Quick reminder about “flash fiction.” While there is no official legal definition of “flash fiction,” it’s generally accepted that flash fiction has a word count of up to 1500 words. However, to make this an interesting challenge, I’ve told myself that these stories will be no more than 1000 words.]
If you want to know more about how this story came about, that’s all in the “Beyond…” section for paid subscribers below. (Paid subscribers also get to suggest elements and get their name used in a future story!)
Alien in Aruba: Soursop Sojourn
"If you're going to immerse yourself in the culture, you must do all the things they do," was a direct quote from the training manual.
Kim took this to heart, deciding on a vacation. The Earther's he'd encountered so far seemed to define this activity as some period of time away from home and work, ideally spent recreatively. Far from his own planet and constantly on duty on Earth, Kim found the idea intriguing.
After polling several people about their vacations, Kim learned that many humans enjoyed leisurely moving about on a large ship that had all the comforts of home and more. They called it 'cruising.' To Kim, the promise of new culinary ventures on such a voyage excited him the most. Thus, he booked a cruise from Port Canaveral, a place he'd visited several times in his first few months on Earth, with a destination of Caribbean islands.
Shortly after departing land, Kim found himself out of contact with the rest of his team. His Earth-centric communication device wouldn't function unless he paid a hefty fee for service. He had the money to do so, but after several spending reprimands, Kim opted out.
He could have taken his native comm device with him, but after watching several videos on what to bring and what not-to-bring onto a cruise ship, he decided to leave it in a safety box on land. Apparently, the companies that ran the cruise ships had no qualms about confiscating a wide variety of items that they deemed a safety issue on the ship, and Kim didn't want to take a chance that this unfamiliar tech would be one of them.
So, with no way to contact his team, Kim embraced the unfamiliar concept of relaxation.
While attempting this new Earthly practice, lounging poolside on deck, a human attempted to engage Kim in conversation.
"...have you?" she inquired, obviously repeating something Kim missed moments before.
"I'm sorry, what?" Kim responded.
"Been to Aruba before? I swear I'm going to be the first person off the ship tomorrow!"
The woman, floral-patterned bathing suit dripping wet, had her hair wrapped in the towel that had been on the chair moments ago, and wore large dark sunglasses that obscured her eyes.
"Uh, no," Kim said. "I take it you have?"
"Oh yes! Several times! You have any excursions planned?"
"I was just going to walk around—"
"Perfect! You simply must try this one ice cream spot. Everyone is going to head right off the pier, towards the usual tourist traps. But go left. You'll see the 'I Heart Aruba' sign. Beyond that is a different set of vendors... and there's always one that sells ice cream. Get the soursop. If you've never had anything like it, you've never had anything like it!"
Kim was intrigued. In his year on Earth, he'd indulged in many foods, and ice cream remained a favorite. There was nothing like it on his home world. The closest was a flavored gelatin substance, but it was neither cool nor creamy and frankly, wasn't that good — although the Lestians from twelve light-years away made special trips to his home world just for the stuff.
The next morning, as he stepped off the gangway, Kim joined the throng of people sorting themselves on the pier, splitting into groups for various excursions. Kim followed the group of people who, similar to him, had chosen to walk around although he noticed that many of these people seemed to walk with purpose, as if they had a pre-chosen destination in mind.
Kim did, too. The prospect of a new ice cream flavor intrigued him. As he walked, he turned his Earth cell phone back on—reluctantly. Part of him wished to remain disconnected until the cruise was over, but he knew a check-in was due. While he'd informed his team of his whereabouts, none of them were terribly thrilled that he'd be out of contact for several days.
Immediately, dozens and dozens of messages and notifications poured into his phone. Attempting to select one proved futile as the device continued to flood with alerts, refusing his touch. Tucking the phone back into his pocket, Kim decided the ice cream warranted his attention first.
Locating the vendor was easy, and there it was—soursop ice cream, just as described. Although it didn't look special. A very bland off-white, but not quite vanilla looking. Settling on a nearby bench with his double-scoop cup, Kim hurried, knowing the intense sun would melt his treat quickly.
Kim took his first spoonful and was initially greeted by something mildly sweet and a tiny bit citrusy. But before he could get the second spoonful in his mouth, there was a tartness to what he was tasting. On his second and third spoonfuls, he continued to savor a creamy undertone that became more and more apparent. Kim was delighted and found himself wishing to thank the woman who recommended it.
Engrossed in the ice cream's creaminess, his phone's buzz momentarily brought him back. Shielding the screen from the glare, he saw messages from his team, including one from the leads: Earth wasn't ready for first contact; the team was being recalled, instructed to wait another generation. The extraction deadline was in a week.
Kim's heart, or rather his stomach, sunk. Despite the directive, the thought of returning to the blandness of his home world disheartened him. As he savored the ice cream, something that took a full year to find, he knew that there was still a vast array of undiscovered flavors and foods still out there, it became clear: Kim wasn't ready to leave Earth behind.
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If you like my stuff, then it’s possible you’d enjoy the work of other authors that I participate in newsletter swaps with. Here’s this weeks swap:
And you may or may not know that I do a lot of YouTube/Podcast interviews. Here’s one that I recently did and for me, it was unique because it was actually in person! You should definitely subscribe to Jamaal’s channel. He interviews a lot of wonderful folks (who happen to be local-ish to me):
(I actually keep a public playlist of what I think are all my “appearances” on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWz7f6PovQjrYx_h-dlNOy4rZ1OMnx_Qz )
Finally, and especially if you do love podcasts, then make sure you’re subscribed and listening to mine! I’m one of 4 co-hosts of The BIG Sci-Fi Podcast. New episodes come out on Fridays and this week, dive deep with us as we talk with New York bestselling author David Mack, whose prolific writing career includes the newly released 'Firewall.' This novel takes us on Seven of Nine's journey from Voyager to Fenris Ranger. Join us as we explore not only the adventures within 'Firewall' but also David's own journey from a film and TV production major to a celebrated author and consultant for our beloved franchise.
Beyond…
Now for all the behind-the-scenes stuff. Today, I’ll talk a little more about how this “Aruba” story came about and plans for the future of “Beyond…”
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